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Relationship Factors: A Study of Parents of Children with Down SyndromeKristen Krueger1, Paige Alexander1, Meghan Dyster1, Mollie Reves1, Robert Steele1, Morgan Wedekind1, Briana S. Nelson Goff1, Jessica Cless2
1Kansas State University, 2Washburn University
MEASURES• Relationship Satisfaction Measures:
• Couples Satisfaction Index-4 (CSI-4; Funk & Rogge, 2007) Distress CutScore: 13.5
• Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS; Busby, Christensen, Crane, &Larson, 1995) Distress Cut Score = 48
• Herth Hope Index (HHI; Herth, 1992)• Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS; Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin,
1985)• Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scales (F-COPES; McCubbin,
Olson, & Larsen, 1991)• Open-ended qualitative questions
DISCUSSION & IMPLICATIONS
• The current study contributes to existing literature by describing
potential similarities and differences between high and low
relationship satisfaction groups of parents of children with DS:
• High relationship satisfaction group reported more general
life satisfaction, coping, and hope than the low satisfaction
group
• High relationship satisfaction group reported that their
reactions at the time of the diagnosis were similar to their
partner, with more parents in the low relationship satisfaction
group reporting dissimilar reactions between partners
• Parents in both groups reported engaging in education and
gaining information at the time of the diagnosis, with more
parents in the high relationship satisfaction group indicating
they gained this education together.
• The results of the current study indicate that parents in
relationships with higher relationship satisfaction may share
their initial experiences together more than participants who
reported lower relationship satisfaction. These initial
experiences may contribute to later couple functioning in
parents of children with DS.
• For helping professionals across disciplines working with
families with a child with special needs, utilizing these results
can help to better accommodate parents of children with an IDD
diagnosis, like DS. Insight can be gained from examining
parents’ relationship satisfaction levels and their reactions to the
diagnosis in order to aid professionals in understanding the most
important experiences and needs of these families.
• Limitations of the study involve the demographics of the sample
being predominately Caucasian, upper middle class women.
Future research into this area should include a more diverse
sample of parents of children with Down syndrome and other
intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Contact information: [email protected]
REFERENCES• Busby, D. M., Christensen, C., Crane, D. R., & Larson, J. H. (1995). A revision of the dyadic adjustment scale for use with distressed and
nondistressed couples: Construct hierarchy and multidimensional scales. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 21(3), 289-308.
• Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2015). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (4th ed.). Thousand
Oaks, CA: SAGE.
• Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71-75.
• Funk, J. L., & Rogge, R. D. (2007). Testing the ruler with item response theory: Increasing precision of measurement for relationship satisfaction
with the couples satisfaction index. Journal of Family Psychology, 21(4), 572-583.
• Hastings, R. P., & Taunt, H. M. (2002). Positive perceptions in families of children with developmental disabilities. American Journal on Mental
Retardation, 107(2), 116-127.
• Herth, K. (1992). Abbreviated instrument to measure hope: Development and psychometric evaluation. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 17, 1251-
1259. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.1992.tb01843.x
• Kersh, J., Hedvat, T. T., Hauser‐Cram, P., & Warfield, M. E. (2006). The contribution of marital Quality to the well-being of parents of children
with developmental disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 50(12), 883-993.
• McCubbin, H. I., Olson, D. H., & Larsen, A. S. (1991). F-COPES: Family crisis oriented personal evaluation scales. In H. I. McCubbin & A. I.
Thompson (Eds.), Family assessment inventories for research and practice (p. 259-270). Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin.
• McGlone, K., Santos, L., Kazama, L., Fong, R., & Mueller, C. (2002). Psychological stress in adoptive parents of special-needs children. Child
Welfare, 81(2), 151-171.
• Nelson Goff, B. S., Springer, N., Foote, L. C., Frantz, C., Peak, M., Tracy, C., ... Cross, K. A. (2013). Receiving the initial Down syndrome
diagnosis: A comparison of prenatal and postnatal parent group experiences. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 51(6), 446-457.
• Roach, M. A., Orsmond, G. I., & Barratt, M. S. (1999). Mothers and fathers of children with Down syndrome: Parental stress and involvement in
childcare. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 104(5), 422-436.
• Stoneman, Z., & Gavidia-Payne, S. (2006). Marital adjustment in families of young children with disabilities: Associations with daily hassles and
problem-focused coping. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 111(1), 1-14.
ABSTRACT
The current study contributes to the
understanding of parental relationship
satisfaction amongst parents of children with
Down syndrome (DS), through both quantitative
and qualitative data analysis using data from a
large national sample. Results indicate
differences between high relationship
satisfaction and low relationship satisfaction
groups on measures of hope, life satisfaction,
and coping scores. Qualitative results also
indicated group differences.
INTRODUCTION & PRESENT STUDY
• Parents of children with an IDD diagnosis,
such as Down syndrome (DS), may
experience differences in their stress and
coping (Roach, Orsmond, & Barratt, 1999;
Woodman, 2014).
• Families with special needs often state they
are content and see their lives as a mix of
challenging and satisfying experiences(Nelson Goff et al., 2013; Hastings & Taunt,
2002).
• It is important for parents of children with an
IDD diagnosis to understand the changes in
coping, satisfaction, and relationship
functioning that may occur due to the
variations in well-being for parents of
children overtime.
• This study sought to provide an
understanding of the effects on relationship
functioning reported by parents of children
diagnosed with DS based on differences in
relationship satisfaction levels.
DEMOGRAPHICS & QUANTITATIVE RESULTS
• Participants in the current study were predominately female (87%),European American/White (91%), from a higher SES level (38%reported >$100,000 annual income), currently married (91%), with anaverage relationship length of 14.62 years (SD = 9.19; Range= <1 - 51)
• Average age of participants = 41.98 (SD = 9.28; Range = 16 - 70)• Average age of child with DS= 7.95 (SD = 8.55, Range = <1 – 50)• There were no significant demographic differences between the HIGH
and LOW relationship satisfaction groups.• Controlling for participant age, age of child with DS, and relationship
length, MANCOVA results revealed significant differences betweengroups (F(3, 286) = 38.28, p < .000, partial η2= .69) on measures ofhope (HHI), F(4, 288) = 10.42, p < .000), life satisfaction (SWLS),F(4, 288) = 30.01, p < .000), and coping (F-COPES), F(4, 288) = 3.66,p < .01).
SAMPLE AND PROCEDURE• In the current study, 459 participants (of the
original 651 total sample) responded to an open-ended question that asked participants to describetheir response to their child’s Down syndromediagnosis, as well as similarities and differencesbetween partners both in their reactions andexperiences at the time of diagnosis and currentlyin how they approach their child.
• Participants were divided into two groups basedon HIGH (n = 287) and LOW (n = 172)relationship satisfaction scores.